Lower your energy bills this winter
Want to keep just as warm while spending less? Check out our tips to prep your home for the winter ahead.
As the temperatures drop and the leaves fall, you might be thinking of how you can prepare your home for the winter ahead. Here are energy-saving tips on how to prep your house so you can keep warm, lower your energy bills and protect the environment.
Give your house the once-over. Before it gets cold, check to make sure your house is well-maintained. Are there shingles missing from your roof that will make your house colder? Have you insulated your attic and under your floors to stop air from leaking out? Ensure that these things are fixed before the cold weather comes.
Blast those drafts. As the weather cools, check to see that all your doors and windows shut, latch, or lock properly. Ensure that windows are properly caulked and consider weather-stripping doors. If necessary, replace window screens with glass, and put up storm windows or heavy drapes.
Check your furnace. It’s a good idea to have a routine check done by a professional once a year to ensure your furnace is running well. During the winter months, clear the air filter every month to improve efficiency.
Install a programmable thermostat with a built-in timer. Set it to lower the heat by a few degrees at night and when you are away.
Put on a sweater. Instead of turning up the heat, how about slipping on a sweater and turning down the thermostat a few degrees? It will help save you money and energy.
Build a fire. For many people in northern Ontario, a fireplace is their main source of heat throughout the winter. Before burning, make sure the inside of your chimney is clean– Ontario regulations call for an annual cleaning of soot or creosote by a chimney sweep. Cap or screen off the top of the chimney to ensure that birds or small animals do not get in.
Instead of buying wood to burn, how about using old newspapers to make rolled paper logs? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests rolling newspaper sheets around a broomstick, then soaking the log thoroughly in water. Let the log dry overnight and use like ordinary wood. Still burning wood? Choose fire logs or dried hard wood as it burns more efficiently than soft wood. Save your ashes to toss into the compost for an added kick to your garden soil.
For more ideas, visit http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/residents/tips/index.htm
